Amman, Sept. 6 (Petra) -- A recent United Nations General Assembly report highlighted Jordan’s experience in reforming cooperative legislation and strengthening cooperatives’ role in sustainable development.

The report, titled "Promoting the Social and Solidarity Economy for Sustainable Development," cited progress by several member states, including Jordan, in advancing the social and solidarity economy. It noted the Kingdom’s adoption of the 2025 Cooperatives Law, which established the Cooperative Development Fund as a financing mechanism for cooperatives and the Cooperative Training Institute to build the capacities of cooperative members.

On creating an enabling environment, the report said the law provides for equal representation of government entities and cooperatives on the board of directors of the Jordan Cooperative Corporation (JCC), in addition to allocating three seats to women representing Jordan’s cooperative movement.

The report also highlighted Jordan’s efforts to improve statistics and data availability by publishing open data that classifies cooperatives according to their activities and legal status, supporting oversight and development policy-making.

Commenting on the report, Minister of Agriculture and Chairman of the JCC Saeb Khreisat said the UN recognition reflected Jordan’s efforts to develop a supportive legislative framework for cooperatives and enhance their contribution to local development, employment, and efforts to address poverty and unemployment.

Khreisat said the JCC has implemented the outcomes of the National Strategy for the Cooperative Movement, developed in partnership with the International Labour Organization. These include updating cooperative legislation through the 2025 Cooperatives Law, the JCC Administrative Organization Regulation for 2026, and regulations governing the Cooperative Development Fund, Cooperative Training Institute, cooperatives, and cooperative unions.

He said the legislation aims to strengthen the cooperative system, ensure the sustainability of its development role, and provide cooperatives with financial and training tools to serve local communities and support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Khreisat said the report would support continued modernization of Jordan’s cooperative sector in line with international requirements, the Economic Modernization Vision, and the government’s public-sector modernization plan.

//Petra// AO